First of all, lets start with the canvases:
The canvases are custom made. There are 8 custom canvases on aluminum stretchers instead of wood. The advantages are that the aluminum doesn't warp, and more cost effective than the wood.
They were made by Lucian Hudson, a well renowned custom canvas fabricator to well known artists. The surface of the canvas has the usual grain of cotton fabric and I prefer a very smooth surface. So it is required to paint the canvas with a very thick white paint called Gesso. You apply five coats and wet sand in between each coat until you get a very smooth glass like surface. The purpose of the smooth surface, you can paint more detail without having the texture interfere with the detail.
The next step is positioning the photographs which are 5 inches high to the canvas which is 9 inches high. So with fine tracing paper and shaping the paper to the size of the canvases you draw the outlines of the subject (in this case the buildings). Then you draw on the backside of the tracing paper with a charcoal pencil. At which point you press that side of the drawing onto the canvas and it gives you the outline of the objects. Details are not necessary at this stage.
Custom made canvases
some of many tracings
another trace done
This will be the longest painting
More to come on the next blog!
Bless You, Macey
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